Beauty is the Beast
by soboInopig
Summary: Princess Sakura is forced into an arranged marriage by her parents to marry Uchiha Itachi, the eldest prince of Lightening country. Yet the Uchiha castle holds many secrets that Sakura soon discovers and even sooner falls in love with.
1. Arrangements

**Beauty is the Beast**

**Chapter1: Arrangements**

"Father, Mother, how could you! I absolutely refuse and you can't make me!" yelled the pink haired princess. Sakura was beyond angry, she was furious, which was quite the understatement as she stared her parents down.

Her parents may be the King and Queen of Fire country, but she was the princess dammit! King Haruno-san winced slightly at his daughters temper_; honestly, she was in more ways like her mother than she'll ever know'_ he thought as he peeked at his wife from the side. Unlike the King, his wife was completely composed and matched her daughters glare with an equal, if not stronger look of her own.

The Queen had always been this way; determined and rigid. Sakura had grown up being constantly reprimanded by her mother on what it meant to be a true princess of Fire Country.

Etiquette, ballroom dancing, sewing, singing, her mother forcing her through constant harp lessons, making her play until the tune was perfect.

During one lesson Sakura refused to play any longer when her fingers began to bleed from continues hours of plucking away at the instrument.

That night Queen Haruno made it clear that if Sakura ever wanted to leave the study she would continue to practice until Sakura's mother found her melody worthy of a Haruno.

No, there weren't many Mother-daughter moments between Sakura and the Queen; and judging by the looks they were shooting at each other now, there probably never would be.

"It is not something you can just refuse." Her mother said icily. "It's already been confirmed and it's part of your duty as a Haruno princess."

"Then maybe I don't want to be a Haruno princess!" Sakura retorted. "I'd rather die than marry that filth Uchiha Itachi!"

Uchiha Itachi was the eldest prince of Lightening country. His parents and her parents had wanted to combine their kingdoms for some time now and marriage had been the more logical solution.

Sakura couldn't stand Itachi. The times he had come to the castle on business treaties with her father, he had stared at her like she was something to eat; his eyes were full of lust as he looked her up and down.

Sakura could still remember those eyes every time she thought of Itachi (times when she thought of how much he disgusted her). Just the thought of him made her shiver in fear; even more when she thought of marrying him.

"Sweetheart, I'm afraid this is the only way to ensure the safety of our kingdom. War is approaching quite rapidly and our shinobi are on the rare side". Her father explained gently.

Although Sakura appreciated her fathers attempt at a negotiation which was more than she could say for her mother, but that didn't mean she would accept it openly.

Staring into her parents eyes and reading their gazes, she realized that there was only one way that she could ever hope to get out of this. Although it was quite beneath her, not only as a princess of Fire country, but as herself as a person (not to mention her ego would take a major beating), she saw no other way.

Mustering up the best four-year old puppy dog look she could, she dropped to her knees, clasped her hands and gazed at her parents in desperation. "Please, oh please, if you really love your only daughter, you won't force me to marry that egotistical bastard!"

Sakura studied her parent's reactions and saw success with her father as his mouth dropped a little as his eyes began to water.

Sakura inwardly smirked at her father,_ to easy'. _However the smell of victory was quickly stifled when she caught sight of her mother's stone cold eyes and fierce frown. For once in Sakura's life, she wasn't going to get what she wanted.


	2. Smirks

Chapter Two

Smirks

It was quite drafty and cold in the Uchiha Castle. There was a certain sense of eeriness when one entered through the steel bound doors; evil.

Sasuke had felt it whenever his older brother happened to be near by. At first, when the Uchiha brothers were younger, Sasuke had always noticed that there was a certain mischief's quality about his brother.

But as the years went by the childlike wickedness had strengthened in to something more threatening. Taking notice of this at an early age, Sasuke tried to avoid his brother whenever possible; this was quite easy most of the time.

Itachi Uchiha the eldest of brothers of the King and Queen of Lightening Country and heir to the throne(which had always angered Sasuke) seemed to have no need for a pesky, annoying, brat of a younger brother(At least that's what Itachi thought).

Not to mention Itachi was also the head captain of Lightning's ANBU so he was always away on missions, which suited Sasuke just fine, the less he saw of his brother the better (though Sasuke couldn't help but feel hint's of jealousy whenever his parents boasted to visiting Senates, Dukes, anyone worthy enough to be in the King and Queen's presence, about their talented older son and how he would make a great ruler one day).

However, avoiding his brother just got a bit more complicated, since Itachi had just gotten back from a six month long mission out in Rain territory, and had announced upon crashing through the Head doors that he would be staying much longer than the average two days.

Sasuke would never admit it, but the only person, the only thing that scared Sasuke in this world was his brother. Not just because of the fact that he was taller, buffer, and more powerful than Sasuke, but the way Itachi would look at Sasuke whenever he happened to be home.

He always gave him a small smirk, his coal black eyes would squint slightly and you could see the amusement behind his facade. This had always annoyed Sasuke, he had always thought his brother must be sharing some private joke with himself that must have centered completely on Sasuke, and otherwise it wouldn't make his skin crawl so.

Itachi was hiding something, Sasuke was sure of it, and Itachi knew that it was annoying the hell out of his younger brother; it was what he took satisfaction in.

'_If only I knew what it was I could wipe that stupid look of his face'_, Sasuke thought. The onyx eyed seventeen year old stopped his walking excursion to his chambers to further process what his brother could be up to.

As he stood there in the cold stillness he was abruptly interrupted from his musings when a load high pitched scream echoed through out the cobblestone walls.

Turning in the direction of the startled sound waves, Sasuke waited until another scream echoed again (not as load as the first one but still load enough to probably alert everyone in the castle).

Raven spikes flying behind him, Sasuke sprinted to the source of disruption. Making his way down the main staircase that seemed to go on for miles, he stopped when he saw the most peculiar scene in front of him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Miss Sakura-san, please, this is no way a princess should act", the poor coachmen said as he attempted to drag the pink haired fussing princess across the floor. Sasuke watched in disbelief as he saw the tantrum that was being thrown in front of him. '_What is she five?'_

, he thought to himself.

"No, I refuse, you don't understand. Uchiha Itachi is a terrible person. He's a perverted dog-faced asshole and I will never marry him of my own will!" she screamed.

Sasuke wondered suddenly where the servants had disappeared to; the grand hall never looked so empty. He watched in amusement as the coachmen attempted to forcefully shake the green-eyed girl off his leg only to have the princess grip his limb painfully (by the wince on the coachmen's face) tighter.

It was then that the coachmen must have finally noticed his presence. The man turned a deep shade of magenta then mustered the attempt to "bow".

"Prince Sasuke Uchiha, my apologies sire for the disturbance, she's quite a wild one". Sasuke merely smirked as he walked over to the girl sprawled on the floor, still latched on to the coachmen's leg.

Crossing his arms, he slowly bent down until he was at her eye level. Cautiously, the princess looked up at Sasuke and blushed deeply.

'_She's cute when she blushes… wait… what am I thinking'_, Sasuke thought as he quickly turned his smirk into a scowl, still staring stoically at the Princess.

'_So this must be my brothers new fiancé', _he thought as he quickly analyzed her appearances'. '_She's prettier than I thought she would be'_, he thought as he continued to stare at her with an unreadable expression.

Unlike his older brother who when he had been younger used to hide in the female servant's wardrobes to watch them undress, Sasuke was not a pervert. Yet, despite Itachi's lecherous ways, the ladies still loved him.

All women loved the Uchiha brothers, Itachi was quite the womanizer. However, Sasuke was never that interested into the sluttish maids who still threw themselves at him. Any women would have jumped at the chance to marry the "Great Prince Itachi", but with this woman, it didn't seem to be the case.

Her cheeks tinted a dark shade and she had that sparkle in her eye that he saw with every fan girl. '_Great, just what I need, another crazy woman to kiss the ground I walk on ,_ he thought. Sakura immediately let go of the coachmen's leg suddenly embarrassed with her behavior. Struggling in her lime green gown, she attempted to get off the floor.

'_He may be gorgeous, but he's such a jerk, he didn't even bother to help me off the floor!' _Sakura thought. She then curtsied, noting that Sasuke didn't return her with a bow. He just stood there with his arms still crossed, staring at Sakura in what appeared to be annoyance.

Sakura opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted when Sasuke asked her name.

"Oh… ah… m-my names Sakura Haruno", she said as she curtsied once again. She looked up to see that Sasuke had already started walking stoically past her.

"If you plan on living here, don't be so annoying". he said as he walked out of the grand hall.

'_What an ass, I can't believe the nerve of that guy.'_ Sakura thought fumingly as she watching him walk away. "Arrr, It makes me so mad I could just punch somebody" she screamed aloud. The coachmen, still present, hurriedly stepped away after hearing her angry warning. "These Uchiha brothers are going to drive me crazy!" she screamed load enough for Sasuke (who was still in earshot) to emit a small chuckle.

**A.N: Happy! I am anyway; I finally got a computer, an actual good computer!!! Sorry for the long update, this chapter took a bit long to type, even though I already had it all written down in my RD. Blame Three Days Grace, I listened to them when typing this chapter, and when ever I listen to really good songs, what I happen to be doing at that point in time confuses me and I get up and walk around my room for no apparent reason. I know weird… Ill see a therapist.** **Anyway thanks for the reviews, but I must have more, more I tell you more!!!!! Sorry, got a little evil villain on you back there… maybe I am crazy? Regardless, the next update should be sooner, unless I run into any tech. problems, which would be just my luck.**

**Happy New Year!!!!!!!! See you all in 2008!!!!!**


	3. Fiance

**A.N: I've finally figured it out hooray!! Jeez about time! Any who, here's chapter three baby!!!**

Chapter Three

Fiancé

'_Wow!'_ was all Sakura could think when she walked into the royal suite. It was the room where the most important guests stayed whenever boarding at the Uchiha castle.

The entire room was decorated with red velvet covering the walls, and in the far center of the room was the biggest bed Sakura had ever seen in her entire lifetime.

The bed had a giant lavender canopy which showed great contrast to the soft red hue on the walls and much to Sakura's taste. Forgetting she was a princess, Sakura immediately slipped off her jade flats, and sped to the bed before jumping at it and landing snuggly into the dark purple Egyptian cotton.

She hadn't realized how tired she was until her head had hit the soft pillow. She thought about just falling asleep and forgetting about having to appear at the introduction dinner tonight.

Falling asleep and forgetting about jerk-ish princes, forced engagements, and just sleep and dream. But then a fun thought occurred to her and she hurriedly jumped up (still on the bed) and began bouncing on the large cloud of comfort, ignoring the chamber maid's protests about how she had just made the bed.

After what seemed like hours of continues bouncing, Sakura collapsed on the covers to rest her aching body. She winced when she felt a jab on her left hip and cursed herself for forgetting.

Jumping up and down on a trampoline like master bed with a corset on was not the best idea. Damn her mother and her morals! Sakura absolutely despised the horrid thing. The death trap completely squeezed the life out of you if you didn't breath correctly, and it pushed Sakura's breasts up making them seem huger than they actually were, giving Sakura unwanted attention from the men of the kingdom.

Jumping down from her bed, Sakura turned toward the doorway where she expected to see the chambermaid, but instead was met with empty air.

'_Kuso, I've never taken this off by myself before. Oh well, how hard can it be.' _With some minor difficulty Sakura reached behind herself to untie the green sash that blocked entrance to the ties that held her dress together.

She began untying one by one the strings, her arms steadily growing tired. After finally reaching the back of the corset she scowled. Fingering the individual hooks, Sakura soon realized that this was definitely not going to be as easy as she thought.

She had been so engrossed in what she was trying to accomplish that she hadn't noticed someone opening her bedroom door and quietly creeping towards her.

Sakura jumped when she felt hot breath caressing her neck and cold fingers overlapping her own, unhooking her corset. Before the mysterious person got so far as to completely reveal her naked spine; Sakura quickly spun around to face her intruder.

She gasped when she saw his features. He looked like Prince Sasuke only he was slightly taller, more muscular and unlike the annoyance that she had seen in Sasuke's eyes, this man's gaze held lust.

Prince Uchiha Itachi, in the flesh, unfortunately. Sakura narrowed her eyes at the lecherous older brother, who only smirked in return.

"What on earth do you think you are doing, entering a lady's bearings without permission you stuck up ass!" Sakura shouted. Itachi merely smirked deeper and focused his gaze on her chest, which was heaving up and down in frustration.

"I was only trying to assist you with that painful looking corset. I swear I had no intention of taking things further… unless you secretly want me to." He said smirking seductively; still yet to look her in the face when talking to her.

His gaze was perfectly comfortable roaming over her form, which unfortunately had a thin glisten of sweat from jumping on the bed previously.

"First of all, my eyes are up here you pervert, and second of all I would never do anything of_ that sort_ with a man whore like you!" Sakura shouted.

Itachi merely chuckled at her response and began to make his way toward her. Sakura instinctively backed up only to find herself up against the bed post.

"Oh, come now. Let's stop with the name calling, Sakura-hime." He breathed still advancing upon her.

Sakura inwardly cringed. "I'm not your wife and nor will I ever will be, you disgust me and I can barley stomach the sight of you." She whimpered despite herself. '_Come on Sakura, pull it together'_ she thought.

Itachi finally reached her and continued to ignore her insults as he held his hand to her cheek, grazing it. Sakura squeezed her eyes shut silently praying for a savior; damn her parents, she hated them now more than ever for putting her in this situation.

"Um… e-excuse m-me?" a small voice stuttered. Sakura opened her eyes to see a maid about her age with dark black hair with such shine it held a tint of blue. The girl had large white eyes and was blushing a deep crimson. She was standing in the door way holding a small towel and looked embarrassed on walking in on such a situation.

Itachi dropped his hand from Sakura's red face and turned with an icy glare to the interruption.

"Ah yes Hinata, come to serve my new fiancé have you?" he said, not really stating it as a question.

Sakura, quickly regaining her composure, swallowed before speaking. "I already told you, I will never be your fiancé!" Sakura shouted.

Itachi turned toward her, leaning his face down to hers and grazing his lips slightly on the corner of her mouth.

"Soon, I will have you, and It wont matter if you want to be my fiancé or not." he said huskily before quickly turning away and leaving the room, not even glancing Hinata's (the said maid) way.

Sakura let out the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. Hinata slowly approached Sakura with a worried look on her face.

"Um… your majesty, are you alright?" she asked as she leaned down to Sakura's level who had collapsed in relief as soon as Itachi had left.

"Yes, thank you. Just give me a moment to catch my breath." Sakura said as she continued to breathe deeply. Thank God this girl decided to show up when she did, otherwise Sakura wasn't sure where she would be.

Itachi Uchiha now not only disgusted her, he scared the hell out of her. She wasn't sure why, but something about him frightened her greatly.

Suddenly a clear glass was brought to her lips. Sakura looked up to see Hinata holding a glass out to her with a kind smile on her face.

"Here, you should drink this. It will help you get over the shock." she said tipping it towards Sakura's mouth.

Sakura drank it gratefully, suddenly realizing how thirsty she was. After completely draining the cup, Hinata wiped some droplets that had slid down her chin with the towel she held.

"Thank you so much, Hinata was it?" Sakura questioned. Hinata turned deep red and averted Sakura's gaze.

"Um… y-yes y-your m-majesty." she said shakily.

Sakura smiled lovingly, _'How cute, she's shy.'_ Sakura slowly stood up wiping the front of her gown which had now become ruffled.

"Oh, that's enough with the formalities. You just saved my butt back there; you can call me Sakura if you like." Sakura said with a smile, trying to make the girl feel more comfortable.

"Oh, ah… w-well… t-thank y-you Sakura-san." she said still nervously but not as uncomfortable as she was before.

"Your welcome Hinata-chan. Actually I was wondering if you could do me one more favor. Could you help me take this dreadful thing off?" Sakura asked gesturing to her corset.

"Oh… 0-0f course… y-your majes- I-I mean Sakura-san." she said as she began to help her unclip the death hooks.

"Sakura-chan will do just fine when were alone, but it's probably best if you save Sakura-san when were in front of the Uchiha family. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble." Sakura said as she slowly began to feel herself able to breath.

"oh… y-yes S-Sakura-chan." Hinata said. Sakura smiled, even though she couldn't see it, she could hear the smile in Hinata's voice.

"A terrible man that Uchiha isn't he Hinata-chan?" Sakura asked still seething from her earlier encounter with Itachi.

"Y-yes, h-he can be q-quite lecherous." Hinata said, finishing with the last hook on Sakura's corset. As soon as the corset dropped to the floor, Sakura took a much needed breath of fresh air.

"I know really, I mean does he honestly think he can get whatever he wants when ever he wants!" Sakura threw her palms up in the air to show her exasperation.

"Actually Sakura-chan, Prince I-Itachi does get what he wants a-all the time." Hinata said picking up Sakura's corset.

After hearing this Sakura quickly turned to Hinata with a worried look on her face.

"Hinata, that bastard's never touched you before has he?" Sakura asked. Hinata looked down at the ground now redder than ever before.

"W-well not e-exactly. I m-mean he looks at m-me a lot, but that's all." Hinata said covering her cheeks.

"Oh… Thank goodness, because if he did than I'd have to dismember him immediately! I would make sure that bastard would never be able to have an orgasm ever again!" Sakura shouted triumphantly.

Hinata blushed at hearing this, then unsure of what to do, she handed Sakura back her corset.

"Oh… thank you!" Sakura said as she took the beastly thing from Hinata's hands. Walking over to the fireplace which had been going when she had first arrived, she didn't spare the thing a second glance when she threw it into the flames.

"Ah! Sakura-chan, w-why would y-you do that?" Hinata asked.

"That thing is the most annoying part about being a princess! It's terribly uncomfortable and I refuse to wear one ever again. Besides it's not like I need it, I have plenty of bras that do the job just fine." Sakura said crossing her arms.

Hinata still in awe of what Sakura had done continued to look at her somewhat confusingly. But this went unnoticed by Sakura as she walked to her closet to reveal what fabulous dresses would be behind it.

"So Hinata, tell me. What does one wear to an introduction dinner?" Sakura asked, truly curious.

"oh, w-well, The Princes always dress nice, and the Queen is always so e-elegant, but not s-so much as to a-appear uncomfortable. The Queen is actually q-quite nice." Hinata said walking to stand next to Sakura eyeing a strapless royal blue floor gown in the corner.

Sakura noticed this and gave Hinata a kind smile. "Hinata, will you be joining us tonight?" she asked.

Hinata quickly turned to Sakura and blushed. "N-no, I was never invited." she said.

"Mmm… well, now I'm inviting you. So hurry up and slip on that blue gown there in the counter." Sakura said as she grabbed a deep red gown, the straps designed to slide down to the forearms, which would show off her porcelain neck and the tops of he shoulders. There was a wide black satin sash the tied at the bottom of her waist, much to Sakura's liking.

"Oh… n-no, I c-couldn't possibly-" but Sakura interrupted her before she could explain why she shouldn't be allowed to attend the dinner.

"That's enough Hinata. You're my friend and if I want to invite you then you shall be invited. Now hurry up, Ill bet this dress will look gorgeous on you!" Sakura squealed.

Hinata looked up at Sakura, her eyes shining. "Y-you really think o-of me as y-your friend?" she asked blushing heavily again.

"Of course silly! You and I will become best friends!" Sakura said.

Hinata looked down at the blue dress in her arms, fingering the fabric. Obviously she had never had the opportunity to wear something so beautiful.

"I-I've never had a best f-friend before." Hinata said still blushing when she looked up at Sakura.

"Yeah, me neither. But Ill bet you and I will become real good friends, don't you think?" Sakura asked.

"Y-yes, I think so too!" Hinata said this time with a true smile on her face.

"Great!" Sakura said as she grabbed Hinata's hand and lead her over to the vanity.

"Come on, we better hurry. You and I are going to knock them dead!" Sakura said as she held the red gown up in front of her.

Hinata looked at Sakura, and then copying her movements held the dress out in front of her like Sakura had.

Yes, this was going to be an interesting evening indeed.

**A.N: Lol! I couldn't resist adding little Hinata in there. And of course where there's Hinata there's Naruto! Oops, I gave away a preview of the next chapter! Oh well, you should all know that a Naruto based fanfic without Naruto, can be mayoral dull (except when it involves a one-shot). Any who I finally figured out my tech problems, I'm so happy!! This chapter was a bit long, but I figured I owed you guys. Plus I just couldn't stop typing; it was like the story was pouring out of me.**

**Well, as always, review, review, and review. Perhaps if say it three times everyone will remember. (I hate it when my mother does that) Remember I accept all opinions, good and bad. Another words let me know if it sucks!!**

**See You Guys (SYG) - Amber Out!!!**


	4. Introductions

**A.N: So sorry for the long update, finals were killer! But all that said and done, so here's the fourth chapter!!! **

**P.S- I'm listening to Michael Jackson's thriller while typing this chapter, I know weird but I was a big fan of Michael before he became a white pedophile. (No racism intended).**

Chapter Four

Introductions

Sakura walked out of her suite only to find that Hinata was not behind her. Turning around and sighing in frustration, she walked back into the room and dragged a red- faced Hinata into the hallway.

"Come on Hinata, stop being so shy. You look fantastic!" Sakura said as she fixed a stray hair on Hinata's bun which had been piled on top of her head, adding great contrast to her fare skin with the rich blue fabric of the dress.

"B-But Sakura-chan, I've never personally attended an I-Introduction dinner m-myself before." Hinata said as she stared down at her feet.

"Well neither have I, so see there's a first time for everything." Sakura said as she gently grabbed Hinata's arm and they walked down the grand staircase.

"Y-Yes but, you look s-so beautiful Sakura-chan." Hinata said as she quickened her pace trying to keep up with Sakura's quick stride.

Sakura's hair was tied into a low braid which was draped casually across her shoulder, the rosy ringlets grazing the low front of the wine red dress.

"Thank you Hinata, as do you. So you see we have nothing to worry about except defending ourselves from that lecherous Itachi Uchiha. But I doubt he'll try anything in front of his parents." Sakura said with disgust. She still couldn't stand Itachi. Originally, Sakura would be very excited about going to this Introduction dinner if that dog Itachi wasn't going to be there.

As they made their way down the stairs, Sakura spotted Sasuke at the end of the staircase presumably waiting for them. Sakura immediately blushed then shook her head.

'_No way, so what if he looks super hot in that tux. He's still a mega-jerk.'_ Sakura thought. Although she couldn't help but continue to stare at the way his tie was loosened around his neck and the top two buttons had been left undone, showing off just enough chest to make Sakura's face heat up. His jacket was also unbuttoned and had been slung over his shoulder's carelessly, which made him look even more mouth watering.

Sakura felt Hinata squeeze her hand slightly and Sakura threw a reassuring smile across her shoulder.

"Good evening Prince Sasuke how are you this evening?" Sakura asked politely, trying her best not to look fazed by his appearance.

"Hn." He said ignoring her question. Sakura furrowed her brows and was about to comment on his rudeness when he interrupted her.

"You don't have to bring your chambermaid to the dinner you know." He said with a light smirk as if laughing at her actions.

Sakura could feel Hinata's anxiety increasing from behind her and she squeezed her hand attempting to comfort her.

"For your information _Sasuke-kun, _I invited Hinata to this dinner and if she can't come then I won't be attending either." Sakura said narrowing her eyes attempting to intimidate him.

Sasuke scowled at the suffix added to his name then rolled his eyes shrugging it off.

"Makes no difference to me what you do." He said as he took a step forward.

"What exactly are you doing here anyway?" Sakura asked truly curious.

"I do live here genius." He said

"Obviously I know that, what I meant is what are you doing here waiting for us smartass!" Sakura huffed.

She heard Hinata stifle a giggle softly behind her and Sakura smirked at this.

"Unfortunately, I have been asked to escort you and apparently your chambermaid to the dinner." He said with a slight frown.

"Ha, what do you mean "Unfortunately"? You should be jumping at the chance to escort us two beautiful ladies to dinner!" Sakura said emphasizing her point by putting her hands on her hips.

"Whatever." He said as he held out both his arms to Hinata and Sakura.

Sakura's face tinted a little but she ignored this as she took Sasuke's arm and stepped down from the steps. Hinata did the same only her face was heated and she refused to make eye contact with anyone.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at their reactions as he led the way to the grand hall. Suddenly a loud echo was heard throughout the castle.

Both Sakura and Hinata jumped at this but Sasuke remained unfazed except for the scowl that had returned.

"What a loser." He said under his breath as he faced the direction in which the sound disruption had come from.

Seconds later a blond haired male came running straight at them wearing a tux similar to Sasuke's only instead of black he wore a bright orange blazer.

"Sasuke-teme! How could you leave without me you'll pay for that!" He yelled still coming straight at them.

Sasuke who smirked at the situation smoothly side stepped the blond bringing both Hinata and Sakura with him who had latched onto his arms in fear.

The said crazy boy stumbled onto the glassy floor and yelled profanities under his breath as he attempted to stand up.

"That was a cheap move teme, be prepared to get your ass kicked because I-" The boy stopped suddenly when he finally noticed Hinata and Sakura there next to Sasuke. One looking surprised and freaked out, the other looking incredibly frightened.

"Oh, ahhh…." He said while reaching up to scratch his head with a goofy looking grin on his face.

"Naruto you idiot, what are you trying to do? Scare them to death?" Sasuke glared.

"Well excuse me teme, I didn't know that they were with you!" Naruto yelled.

Turning to Hinata and Sakura he smiled sweetly before introducing himself.

"Hey there ladies! My name's Naruto Uzamaki and I'm Sasuke - bastard's best friend, although he'd never admit it. Sorry about spooking you there earlier." He said.

Sasuke grumbled something under his breath while shaking his head but Sakura ignored this.

" Nice to meet you Naruto, my name's Sakura." she said as she extended her hand smiling.

Naruto eagerly grabbed her hand shaking it with so much force that Sakura had to let go of Sasuke's arm to steady herself.

"Nice to meet you Sakura-chan!" He then turned to Hinata who was still recovering from her earlier scare.

"Hey I know you, don't you work here at the palace?" Naruto asked smiling toothily.

Hinata nodded her head slightly while shaking his hand, blushing profusely.

"Yeah, that's cool. I work here too, at the stables." He said still shaking Hinata's hand.

"Are you coming to the Introduction Dinner as well Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"Hell yeah! I was coming here with the teme but he left without me the jerk!" Naruto said as he glared at Sasuke.

"Hn, loser." Sasuke smirked turning away. Sakura who was still on Sasuke's arm followed him confusingly.

"Wait Hinata!" Sakura said to Sasuke.

"That's okay Sakura, Ill escort her to the dinner." Naruto said as he hooked his arm with Hinata's and hurriedly caught up to Sasuke. Hinata blushed a deep crimson when Naruto walked her through the hall next to Sasuke and Sakura.

Sakura, who noticed this giggled at Hinata's reaction as they entered the Grand Hall.

The Grand Hall looked glorious with the decorations hung from the ceiling giving off the royal appeal. The place was filled with many quest's who mostly stood around talking to one another. There was an orchestra playing on the stage and a few couples were out on the floor dancing happily.

This was what Sakura enjoyed most about being a princess. Going to parties with her best friend Ino (who was the duke's daughter) was one of her favorite hobbies.

The grand Hall was alive with happiness and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Everyone that is except for the man currently on her left.

Sasuke looked like he'd rather be anywhere else than where he was now. Naruto who had previously drug off Hinata to the dance floor was dancing happily away. Sakura giggled when she saw Hinata's face which was blushing with excitement.

Sakura looked at Sasuke who was still glaring at anyone who dare approach him and smirked as a plan began to form in her head.

"Come now Sasuke-kun, wipe that scowl off your face. Let's enjoy the time we have now even though we cant stand each other." Sakura said as she pulled him onto the dance floor.

Sasuke who had no time to respond was surprised when he found himself suddenly surrounded with music and dancing couples.

Sakura laughed at his reaction as she grabbed both his hands and attempted to lead him into the waltz.

Sasuke frowned a little but complied and Sakura found that he was an amazingly great dancer. Taking one of his hands out of her own, he took hold of her waist and pulled her close to him as they danced among the other crowd.

Sakura blushed deeply at their close proximity unlike Sasuke who acted as though nothing was happening at all. They continued to dance across the floor with Sakura laughing happily. Sasuke found himself enjoying her laughter and smirked when she accidentally tripped on his shoes.

But all this excitement was soon interrupted when Sasuke felt a strong tap on his shoulder. He hadn't realized at how much fun he was having until that moment and it made him want to punch who ever happened to be standing behind him.

Turning around he saw it was none other than his brother Itachi. Sasuke glared at him menacingly as Itachi merely smirked.

"If I recall brother you were asked to escort _my fiance _to the Grand Hall, not keep her all to yourself." Itachi said smoothly.

Sasuke felt Sakura quiver in his arms and instinctively he pulled her closer to him. '_That's right she's Itachi's fiance, I shouldn't have let myself get carried away'_ Sasuke thought. But that didn't stop him from deepening his glare toward his older brother.

Sasuke had no idea why he had suddenly become so possessive over the pink-haired girl, but something inside him roared with rage when he thought of Itachi dancing with her the way he had been.

Luckily they were saved from a potentially disastrous situation by Hinata and Naruto who decided to show up unknowingly at the perfect time.

"Hey Sakura-chan, some red head chick was looking for you." Naruto said completely unaware of the tense atmosphere.

Hinata however could tell that something was amiss and immediately decided to help the situation.

"Sakura-chan w-would you like me to s-show you who it w-was?" Hinata asked very aware of Itachi who was now smirking at her.

"_Sakura-chan _huh Hinata? Awfully informal for a chambermaid to address a princess don't you think?" Itachi said as he smirked at her.

Hinata's expression turned frightened and Naruto's turned angry.

"Hey you son of a-" Naruto started but was interrupted by Sasuke.

"Naruto why don't you go with them, besides I hear there's ramen at the food bar." Sasuke said giving Naruto a warning glance.

Naruto gave him a knowing look and nodded as he grabbed both Hinata and Sakura's hand and led them away from the two brothers as he began to chat aimlessly about all his favorite flavors of ramen.

Sakura looked back at Sasuke with a worried expression and Sasuke continued to stare after her until she was out of sight from the crowd.

"Now now brother, you wouldn't be contemplating stealing my soon to be wife are you?" Itachi said chuckling darkly.

"Why would I be interested in someone like her, we were just dancing." Sasuke said icily.

"That's good Sasuke because you know that would make me quite cross." He said as he leaned in slightly.

"Besides it's not like she'd be interested in you either once she found out about what you really are." Itachi whispered.

Sasuke pulled back glaring so profusely that a few people who had been witnessing the conversation stepped back.

Itachi smirked once more before he left the vicinity but that didn't stop Sasuke from glaring.

'_That Bastard'_

**A.N: Whoosh! That was a long chapter, for me anyway! Hmmm… seems like Sasuke's getting a little possessive over our favorite pink-haired princess.**

**And what did Itachi mean "what you really are"? Well you will all find out in the next chapter which will hopefully be updated sooner than this one! Thank you all for your patience and remember review!!!**

**Chapter's play list: Just some things I listened to while typing **

**-Please don't stop the music - Rhiana (I know I spelled that wrong)**

**-Thriller- Michael Jackson**

**-Ma Ya Hi - Lucas Prada**

**-Hungry Eyes- Eric Carmen**

**Yeah I know I have weird taste in music but whatever!**

**Amber Out!!!!**


	5. Curiosity

**A.N: Sorry for the long update but schools been killer this week! Three essays' and two report's in counting. I know 2 weeks without an update?! Pretty pathetic on my part! Any way here's the fifth chapter!**

Chapter five

Curiosity

Sakura bolted awake when the sound of thunder echoed throughout the castle, seeming to shake her out of her sleep. Not like she was sleeping that deeply, the night's events had kept her confused and falling asleep had seemed nearly impossible.

After she had been dragged away with Naruto and Hinata to the food bar, she couldn't have helped but worry about Sasuke. That was what perplexed her, she knew by now that Sasuke wasn't all that bad, he was just reserved for some reason. He always seemed to tense when ever Itachi was around, which is understandable the guy was bad news. But something else was missing, something that kept bugging Sakura ever since the Introduction dinner.

The dinner itself was an utter disaster. The queen it turned out had not made an appearance at the feast because of her illness. Sakura knew that the queen often got sick and her health was weaker than most but she had no idea it was so serious. The medic unit was seen constantly around the castle and Sakura hadn't thought much about it at the time other than they were there for emergencies. In actuality, they were there to make sure the queen didn't overexert herself to the point where her life could be in danger.

At one point in Sakura's life she had wanted to be a medic herself. Healing and helping others had always been her passion but this dream was quickly squashed by her controlling mother. Apparently princesses did not become medics.

Sakura's heart lurched for Queen Mikoto. She had heard nothing but good things about her and she was disappointed that she was not going to be able to meet her. The dinner may have been a bit more enjoyable if she had been present.

The food of course was delectable, but the company was miserable. Sasuke in fact had not showed up at dinner at all, and that only made Sakura worry more. The king however was kind enough to "grace themselves with his presence" but he was completely void of emotion at dinner.

He had spoken hardly to anyone, the occasional "pass the peas" to a servant and grunts when Itachi and him had "engaged" in a small conversation, but that was about it. He hadn't even acknowledged Hinata or Naruto, which irked Sakura at first about his rudeness. But Naruto wasn't the slightest bit offended, only content with stuffing his face full of ramen which conveniently had been provided for him; and Hinata it seemed felt more comfortable being ignored while she picked at her caviar. Sakura got the feeling that they were used to it.

King Fuguku (**A.N: I know that spelt wrong!!) **had spoken a few sentences to Sakura on how "glad it was to meet her", "How are you enjoying your stay", "Are your accommodations suitable to your liking?", and that was pretty much it; other then the "excuse me" he uttered when he left after he had finished his meal.

How strange the Uchiha men were, Sakura had thought. '_One's a pervert who will rape you if your not careful, the others a narcissist who smirks occasionally, and the father is just a man who is too preoccupied with his own problems to see how odd his family is.'_

She shouldn't blame the King though, his wife's sick, he's probably just worried about her well being.

Another flash of lightening and a grumble of thunder nearly made her jump three feet in the air. Sakura liked the rain no problem, but thunder and lightening she could do without.

Hopping out of bed she walked to the private bathroom that was connected to her suite. After splashing water on her face and patting dry with a towel she felt more refreshed, but knew that there was no way she was getting back to sleep for a while.

Glancing at the mahogany grandfather clock she groaned when it read 1:35 am. '_Yeah, definitely not getting back to sleep tonight' _she thought. Grabbing and putting on the silk crème white sleeping robe that was slung across her head board she quietly stepped out of her suite silently closing the door behind her.

The halls were empty which was to be expected, no one in their right mind would bother getting up this early. Sakura then decided that she was still hungry and headed down the hallway to where she hoped the grand stair case was. She wished Hinata were here with her, but it would be incredibly rude to get her up at this hour, even for a princess.

Making her way down the marble stairway she shivered as her feet met the steps, making her wish she had remembered to wear her slippers. Looking to the right she saw the giant doors that led to the grand hall and beyond that she knew there was the Dining room. '_That means the kitchen can't be that far!'_ Sakura thought.

The gigantic doors creaked slightly as she opened them just enough for her to get through. Once on the other side she shut them quietly behind her until she heard a soft click.

There was no indication that a formal party had taken place earlier that night. The grand hall was absolutely spotless and Sakura respected and pitied the servants who must have worked hours to get it clean.

Making her way across the floor she pulled her robe tighter around herself feeling shivers run up and down her spine.

'_Why is it so freaking cold in the castle at night'_ she thought.

There were a couple doors to the left that she knew led to the dining room. After taking a quick scan she saw another door on the right that she hadn't noticed before. Deciding this door would be her first inspection she quietly tip-toed over to the door silently cheering for victory when she discovered it wasn't locked.

It made a quiet creak when she eased it open, the sound itself felt eerie and Sakura felt a rush of Goosebumps. Looking in she squealed when she stepped into a small kitchen.

Obviously this wasn't the main kitchen, otherwise it would be about ten times bigger; but Sakura didn't care she was still incredibly hungry. The kitchen was warmer than the rest of the castle and this brought comfort to Sakura as she searched the pantry for some food.

She smiled joyfully when she found a small container filled with cinnamon rolls. Her mother absolutely forbade any sweets, always worrying about Sakura's figure, which made the roll even more enjoyable. Sakura almost wished her Mom was here so she could wave the roll in her face and eat it in front of her, laughing at her mothers horrific expressions. Chuckling to herself she looked around the small kitchen, still eating her cinnamon roll.

As she started aimlessly walking around the kitchen she spotted a lemon meringue pie underneath a glass dome and she licked her lips greedily.

Too caught up in her lust for the pie she accidentally tripped on the edge of the floor carpeting. Falling to the ground as she flailed her arms she dropped her cinnamon roll which rolled to the other side of the kitchen as she landed on the floor.

'_Damn it all I'm a princess! Aren't _ _I supposed to be graceful_?' she thought to herself. Slowly getting up looking around for her lost pastry she spotted something that had been hidden underneath the carpet.

'_A trap door! Well it is a castle, but how weird?'_ she thought, but that didn't stop her from jumping with excitement as she lifted the latch.

Slowly she opened the wooden door only to be met with darkness. Sakura hesitated as she put one foot on the steps that led down under ground. Was this considered trespassing she thought. '_They say curiosity killed the cat, but that cat was a dumb ass and just wasn't careful'_ she convinced herself as she put both feet on the stairs. She shivered as she made her way down the stairs trying not to jump at every sound she heard.

'_Come on be brave! Cha!' _she thought. As she stepped of the last step, she looked around and found herself in some sort of underground tunnel. Complete with cobblestone walkway, torches the works.

_'Sweet it's like a dungeon' _Sakura thought as she made her way through the creepy tunnel. After a period of walking she finally came to a wooden door a torch on either side.

'_Should I go in?' _she thought cautiously as she placed her hand on the iron door knob. '_Hell yeah, I didn't come all this way for nothing!' _she convinced herself as she turned the knob and ran in before she could change her mind.

Looking around she saw she was in a small room much like the tunnel only far more advanced as she eyed the chains that hung from the wall. _'Creepy' _she thought.

She heard something hiss and move to the corner of the room as it bumped into the wall making a loud cracking noise which led to Sakura's analysis that was a very big something.

Sakura jumped and grew frightened as she backed away to the other side of the dungeon, shivering as she thought of how stupid she was for coming down here.

"Itachi you bastard is that you?!" she heard a ghoulish hiss from the other corner. Sakura yelped as she tried to back herself further into the corner if that was possible.

"No… who the hell is in here" the voiced growled. Sakura felt that this voice sounded so familiar but she couldn't remember where she had heard it. All she wanted to do now was be back in her nice warm bed, thunder was better than this.

The creature moved out of it's corner and Sakura could here the sound of chains as it dragged across the ground. Tears leaked out of Sakura's eyes and her apple green eyes widened as the being stepped into the flame shadows where she could see it completely.

It's hair was a long tangled mane of dark purple and as was the skin a similar shade. Two fleshy wings that almost seemed to resemble giant clawed hands were jutting out from it's back and she eyed the long sharp claws that hung from it's own hands.

But as Sakura met it's cold hard gaze she was immediately paralyzed with fear. It's eyes were a dark red and black commas surrounded it's pupil. Covering herself with her arms she closed her eyes tightly as she continued to cry as she prayed her death would be a quick one.

"Sakura?" it said, the growl seemed gentler and Sakura snapped her eyes open as she finally recognized the voice.

Looking up at the creature she met it's eyes which were still fearsome but they seemed to have lost their earlier anger.

"S-Sasuke?" she asked, still shivering as he stepped closer.

"Sakura, what the hell are you doing here?" he growled as he took another step towards her.

Sakura screamed as she covered her ears in an attempt to calm herself, but it did no good as she felt herself begin to panic.

Picking herself up she made her way towards the cell door but fell to the ground when she felt a clammy cold hand grab her wrist, its claws sinking into her flesh and she yelped in pain as her wrist stung painfully.

"No wait… you cant leave!" Sasuke said as he tried to pull her back on her feet. Sakura continued to struggle as she was pulled from the ground by her wrist, her feet a couple inches off the ground.

She looked up into Sasuke's eyes and cried out in fear as he lowered his gaze to hers.

"Sakura…" he said in a low mumble as he leaned toward her more.

Suddenly she felt cold lips on hers and she immediately closed her eyes.

"S-Sasuke" she tried to say into his mouth, but he wouldn't allow it as his mouth slanted over hers as he deepened the kiss.

She felt his tongue begging for entrance and surprisingly she granted it. His tongue plunged into her mouth and she tried to suppress a moan that was building up in her throat as his tongue stroked hers. His other hand reached around her waist as he pulled her closer and she could feel him breathing heavily through his nose. At last he pulled away giving her much needed air as she panted heavily, but then she drew in a breath as she felt his hard kisses first at her jaw then down to her neck as he moved his lips over her skin.

Sakura leaned her head back and gave out a low moan until her senses suddenly returned which has been earlier clouded with lust.

"S-Sasuke… wait, no! Sasuke please stop!" she cried, but he ignored her as continued to press harsh kisses down her neck.

Sakura desperately tried to free herself from his iron grasp but this only made him clutch her tighter to himself and Sakura whimpered at the pressure she felt on her back.

Seeing no other way out she reached over to his neck and bit down hard on his cold flesh.

Sasuke immediately dropped her and clutched his neck as he let out a painful growl. Sakura fell hard to the ground landing on her knees and she winced when she scraped them on the pavement. Getting up she saw that her hands were scraped as well and they dripped blood.

Making he way to the door in haste she grasped the handle and yanked it open running down the tunnel. She cried out as she felt something hard slam painfully into her back. Looking back around she saw it was Sasuke and he looked pissed beyond believe. Sakura tried standing up but Sasuke pushed her back down on the ground and slowly made his way on top of her.

Sakura looked away from him silently crying as she felt him lower his head toward her.

"Look at me" he growled and Sakura shook her head. Sasuke then grabbed her jaw and forced her gaze upward to meet his eyes. His red eyes were hard and cold and she shivered under his gaze. It was then that she saw the black commas begin to turn and circle around his pupil.

"Forget everything." he whispered and all Sakura saw was black.

**I know, I didn't mean to make Sasuke so… well evil. But don't worry our Sasuke is far from evil, hello he is the hero in this story. Poor Sakura being seduced by monster Sasuke. Once again sorry for the long update. I'll try to update sooner next time! Review please!!!**

**Amber Out!!**


	6. Revelations

**A.N: Hello again!!! Listening to Michael Jacksons' Billy Jean while I type this chapter for no perticular reason. Last night I saw a new episode of Blood Plus and I remebered that song that Diva would sing and I thought, "**_**I really wish I could download that song". **_**And then I thought, **_**"Why not?"**_**. So I looked it up on Rocket (my downloading sight) and I found it! I love this song, and Diva's got the most beautiful voice (even though she's an evil bitch!). Any way I'm listening to an asortment of songs, but one of them is Blood plus Diva. That's what I looked up to find it and that's what it labled itself, so I guess thats what it's called. Any who, here's chapter six!!!**

Chapter Six

Revelations

Sakura shot awake, then immediately regretted it as pain snapped at her and she slowly lowered herself back down on her comforter.

_'Wait, my comforter?' _she thought in disbelieve.

Sure enough, looking around she saw that she was back in her suite. She tried to sit up again, slowly this time, as she tried to recall the night before. Everything was a bit fuzzy, and she wondered if it had all been a dream.

Grabbing her head in pain, she moaned as everything suddenly came rushing back to her.

_'That's right, me getting up, finding the hidden trap door, and then Sasuke was…' _she shivered as she remembered the creature she has seen last night.

But then her paled cheeks quickly turned rosy when she remembered him kissing her so passionately, not to mention she had kissed him back.

Jumping out of bed, ignoring the pain she felt shooting from her feet she ran to her closet grabbing the first thing she saw which was just a simple red and white dress that she would wear whenever her mother wasn't around.

After making her self look presentable, she quickly made her way down the main staircase. It was almost 10 in the morning so everyone was already up.

Looking around she saw Naruto and Hinata talking of to the side of the grand hall. Hinata was blushing and giggling softly while Naruto was laughing as he told her what appeared to be a very entertaining story.

Sakura swiftly made her way toward them and as she neared, they both spotted her and greeted her with smiles.

"Sakura-chan, your finally up! I thought you had died or something, but Hinata-chan assured me that you were just sleeping." Naruto said as he grinned showing off his gleaming teeth.

"I-I'm sorry I d-didn't wake you up S-Sakura-chan, but you l-looked so tired I thought I should l-let you sleep." Hinata said as she lifted her hand up to her mouth still blushing, but looking concerned for Sakura as well.

"Oh, don't worry Hinata-chan, I needed the extra sleep. I didn't get much sleep last night so…" Sakura trailed off as she again remembered the events last night and her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Hey Sakura-chan, you ok? You still look pretty tired, maybe you should go back and sleep some more." Naruto said smiling in worry.

"Oh, no Naruto-chan. It's ok, I just… hey do you know where I can find Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

"Hmmm? Well last time we saw the teme he was looking after his mustang, Manda. I offered to help him, considering it's actually my job to look after all the horses, but the bastard just glared at me and told me to get lost!" Naruto said while he crossed his arms looking annoyed, but it wasn't directed at either of them.

"Oh, thanks." Sakura said as she hurried off to the stables hoping she wouldn't miss him.

Naruto and Hinata stared after her looking confused but Naruto just laughed, smiled and shrugged it off. He took Hinata's arm, mentioning something about ramen and led her to the kitchen.

However Hinata turned back around still staring after Sakura in worry. She couldn't help but think something was wrong with her.

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Sakura slowed down as she reached the stables attempting to catch her breath. As she walked in bits of hay crunched beneath her feet and she looked around hoping to spot Sasuke.

The stables were quite huge and they held all of the kingdoms finest steeds. Sakura loved horses and often would go out riding with her father, of course only when her mother was preoccupied.

Looking at all the beautiful horses, she reminisced the old times wishing so much she could go riding again. Finally coming to a stall that was marked with the Uchiha symbol, she saw a magnificently handsome black mustang. It must have been at least seventeen hands tall (**A.N: FYI- Horses are measured in hands not feet. I know weird, but that just how it is. Also hands and feet are not the same measurements, so no, this horse is not seventeen feet tall!) **and its coat gleamed in the stall lighting.

Reaching over the stall she gently stoked the beautiful beast. It's mane was soft as the strands glided gracefully over her fingers. The mustang leaned into her touch and she smiled as it attempted to search her for food. She giggled as it sniffed her hands and she stroked it's soft nose.

"Careful, he bites." she heard a monotone voice say behind her.

Turning around she relaxed a breath she had been holding when she saw it was Sasuke holding a curry brush and what appeared to be an apple. She gave him a small smile as she continued to stoke the horse.

"Is he yours?" she asked softly.

Sasuke walked slowly toward her dropping the curry comb in a bucket filled with other different brushes. He stood next to her and she jumped slightly when he whipped out a small pocket knife. She pursed her lips when she saw him smirk at her reaction as he began to cut the apple into slices, feeding them to the steed.

"His name is Manda." he said still feeding the horse. Sakura smiled and looked back up at the horse who now she knew was named Manda.

She was startled a little when Sasuke held a slice of apple out to her and she blushed as she murmured a thank you and popped the apple into her mouth. Smiling as she chewed the sweet fruit.

She got confused when she spotted Sasuke lightly glaring at her, and she turned to look at him raising a delicate eyebrow in question.

"You were supposed to feed it to the horse stupid." he said as he cut another slice and fed it to Manda.

Sakura felt herself growing warm in the face as she tried to stifle the blush that was creeping it's way up her cheeks. However she quickly narrowed her eyes at him.

"Well excuse me, you didn't exactly specify what I was supposed to do with the apple, so I just ate it ok!" She said mocking his expression.

Sasuke turned back to the horse, his mouth quirked in one corner of his mouth. Sakura then resolved that she may as well came to ask him what she came here to inquirer.

"Um… Sasuke…" she said nervously.

He turned to look at her this time and Sakura inwardly cursed. '_Great how am I supposed to ask him now that he's looking at me with those mesmerizing deep eyes!' _she though, but continued regardless.

"Uh, well… what exactly happened last night… in that dungeon?" she asked quietly.

Sasuke's expression quickly turned blank as he turned away from her. Sakura felt the comfortable atmosphere that she had felt earlier quickly change and she cursed herself, starting to think maybe she shouldn't have said anything at all.

"It shouldn't have happened." he said, his voice held no emotion in it, yet Sakura was still surprised he had said anything at all.

"You shouldn't have been up at that hour, and I wasn't myself…" he trailed off.

Sakura's eyes widened when she realized that he was trying, in his own way, to apologize for what he had done last night. She attentively reached out to sooth him, lightly touching his shoulder. However he shrinked away from her touch and turned further way from her.

"I guess I brought it on myself, I shouldn't even have been there and I guess my curiosity got the better of me." Sakura said trying to restore the warmth she had felt earlier.

Sasuke turned toward her then reached around her grabbing the saddle that had been strung across the side of the stall. Lifting it off the wall he opened Manda's door and walked into the small stall.

Sakura felt the tension that she had felt earlier disappear as he laid the saddle over Manda's back and then leaned down to fasten and tighten the girth.

"Where are you going?" she asked as he adjusted the stirrups.

"Out riding, there's nothing to do around here anyway." he said as he slipped the bit into Manda's mouth and adjusted the bridle straps.

"Oh! Can I go with you, it seems like ages since I've last been on a horse!" Sakura said clasping her hands together pleadingly.

Sasuke surveyed her expression as if searching for something. His gaze lightened a little as he grabbed the reins and led Manda out of the stall. Sakura backed up as he stopped Manda in the walkway, and her expression went to surprise when he handed her the reins.

"Manda will be an easier ride, I'll take Gambuta." he said as he walked a little ways down the stalls, stopping at a dark brown chestnut.

"Gambuta?" she asked. She was steadily getting excited that Sasuke was going to let her come with him and even more so shocked.

Sasuke quickly saddled up the said horse and led him out of it's stall heading towards her.

"The dobe's horse, Gambuta can be temperamental with strangers so you'll have a smoother ride with Manda." he said as he loosely tied Gambuta to a wooden beam.

Turning toward her he motioned for Manda's reins and she quickly handed them over. He tied the reins to the same beam as Gambuta then walked into the tack room a little ways down from the walkway. Sakura waited patiently for him as she stroked Manda's sleek coat.

Sasuke emerged face void of emotion with a pair of riding pants and a plain small t-shirt.

"Change into these, there are boots in the tack room so put some on before you come out." he said handing the clothes to her.

Sakura took them and quickly headed toward the tack room to change, hoping he hadn't seen her blush.

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As he waited for her to come out he started to rack his brain for reasons as to why he was doing this. Not only was she Itachi's fiancé, but she was bound to ask questions about last night. It's not like she would believe him anyway, but a small part of him felt like he owed her an explanation.

He could still remember the smoothness of her skin, and the way her lips felt against his. But then he also remembered the look of fear in her eyes, and how she had desperately tried to get away. He had hurt her physically and probably mentally. Then again who wouldn't be, he knew that he had been fearful looking and he should have gotten used to the crippling terrified look that he had seen so many times before.

But in her eyes, it was heartbreaking to see her so scared, so frightened. He was so confused by these unknown feelings he was having and Sasuke knew that they were being caused by _that girl._

_That girl _with crème smooth skin that he wanted to touch, with long pink luscious hair that he wanted to run his fingers through, and those lips that looked so inviting, how he wanted to kiss her a thousand different ways.

'_No, stop. She'll just get hurt, I cant fall for her now especially since Itachi…'_

Sasuke clenched his fist in anger for his brother. Always getting what he wanted and what he didn't deserve. That was probably part of the reason he was taking her riding with him. Itachi had pretty much nothing to do today, and Sasuke didn't like the fact of leaving Sakura here with the pervert.

The other reason he was taking her with him? He didn't want to think about it, but he liked her company. She had a warmth about her that made one want to be near her.

Sasuke was interrupted from his musings when he saw Sakura emerge from the tack room wearing the riding pants and the t-shirt that fit her curves perfectly. Her riding boots were black and the reached just below her knees and she had tied her long pink hair back into a long braid.

Sasuke felt his lower regions tighten and he inwardly cursed as he quickly turned away from her and mounted Gambuta.

Looking to the right he saw her smile as she jumped and mounted Manda quite skillfully considering how big and tall he was. Leading them out of the stables and into the hot sunny air he slowed his trot so she could catch up with him. Sakura expertly held the reins and smiled as she came up beside him obviously happy to be riding again.

But her expression quickly turned nervous and serious as she gently kicked Manda into a fast walk.

"Um… Sasuke, I was wondering if you could tell me what exactly… well… what I saw last night?" she said looking at him earnestly.

Sasuke inwardly sighed as they continued their path up the trail that led to the gorge leading away from the castle.

'_Here we go..' _he sighed.

**A.N: So yeah, that's chapter six. Just so everyone knows I hope for there to be a lemon next chapter!! Just a little heads up. Next chapter we will discover how Sasuke came to be what he is and what the hell is going on!! Anyway, as always thank you for your support and REVIEW!!!**


	7. Control

**A.N: So sorry for the long update, I've recently gotten over Laryngitis and a mild case of pneumonia. But, I am mostly cured!! Just a smidge of a cough but other than that, I am ok! I was really pissed at myself because I had been wanting to continue with ****Beauty is the Beast**** earlier, but I may as well have been chained to the bed. Apparently a temperature of 103 degrees means I'm not allowed to leave a bed, which is perfectly fine with me!! Anyway on with the story…!**

Chapter Seven

Control

The gentle wind felt refreshing in the hot weather as Sakura trotted her horse forward. Manda apparently liked cantering despite the sweltering heat because every time Sakura tried to slow him down so she could look back at Sasuke, he would stubbornly push forward, he never seemed to like stopping.

Sasuke had been content going at a steady pace with Gambuta, who was obviously annoyed at his new master. It wasn't until he saw Sakura having problems with Manda when he galloped his horse faster to catch up with her.

It was then that Sasuke thought back to what she had asked earlier.

**Flashback**

"_So, Sasuke, about last night…" Sakura asked in a nervous tone. She shot him a sidelong glance before blushing and looking down. It didn't take a genius to figure out what part of last night she was currently thinking of._

"_We'll talk about it later…" he said trailing off. He was saved by a potentially disastrous conversation_ _when Manda had decided that they weren't moving fast enough. _

_Sakura squeaked when her horse was suddenly thrown into a trot and looked back at Sasuke with pleading eyes. Sasuke had merely smirked, knowing that she was probably safest with Manda. Obviously the horse knew that this new rider wasn't his master so he was trying out his restrictions, seeing how much he could get away with, which with Sasuke as his rider, was very little._

**End Flashback**

As Sasuke got up with her, Manda immediately slowed down to Gambuta's speed, seeming to recognize his master's presence.

"Jeez, this horse just won't listen to me!" Sakura fumed as she rested the reins down on the horn of the saddle, crossing her arms.

"He's just teasing with you, you need to show control or he'll be doing the riding." Sasuke said still smirking at her.

Sakura turned to look at him with an skeptical look, "That would sound really perverted if I weren't riding a horse tight now." She said smiling slightly.

Sasuke smirked turned into a teasing frown, "Let's try and keep our minds out of the gutter, shall we."

As he said this Sakura's cheeks flushed red and suddenly he had urged Gambuta into a canter, making Manda follow suit.

Sakura shrieked as she quickly grabbed on to the reins, trying to steady herself.

"You Bastard!!" she yelled as they continued to gallop into the moors. Sakura was suddenly taken away by the view that was soon presented when they galloped further on. They were surrounded by a meadow full of purple poppies and in the distance she could see a crystal blue lake, which seemed to look like it was beckoning to them in this sticky weather.

Sasuke slowed his steed to a stop when they reached the lake shore and dismounted. Walking over to a nearby stump, he loosely tied Gambuta's reins to the rough wood. Sakura, following Sasuke's earlier actions, dismounted (though not nearly as gracefully) then proceeded to tie Manda to the same stump.

She then walked over to where Sasuke had sat down on the beach. He had his knees up and was resting his elbows on them, bringing his hands up to be placed near his mouth. He looked as though he was contemplating something and Sakura couldn't help but notice that he looked so cute when he was in this pose.

He then sighed and Sakura could feel the air of a heavy conversation coming.



"Look, I don't know why it happened last night, but it did, I lost control and I'm sorry. But it would probably be wise if you kept your little excursion last night a secret." He said, his tone turning even more serious.

Sakura pouted a little then sat next to him becoming quickly annoyed. "Don't worry I didn't tell anybody, even if I did I doubt anyone would believe me. But you can't leave me in the dark Sasuke; I need to know what it was that happened last night and why." She said sounding a little concerned towards the end.

Sasuke looked at her then seemed to mentally resolve something that seemed to be conflicting in his eyes.

"Alright, but it's kind of a morbid story." He said frowning.

Sakura gently touched his shoulder which seemed to relax him, because he continued on with the story.

"When I was younger, about eleven I guess, my father employed a new advisor, since the last one had proved… insufficient." He trailed off at this giving Sakura a look that basically said 'we killed him'.

Sakura gulped but urged him to continue.

"Anyway, this new advisor was a weird one. He had long hair and piercing yellow eyes, almost like a snakes. (**A.N: Guess Who!!)** His name was Orochimaru and the guy gave me the creeps. He was always staring at me in this weird way and he seemed to be always with my father or Itachi. It was like that for a couple months before I noticed that many of the servants had gone missing and were starting to disappear and…" he trailed off again this time looking furious. "… It was also around the time that my mother started getting sick." He looked down refusing to meet her eyes.

Sakura remembered hearing about the Queen's illness and laid her hand on Sasuke's arm, an attempt to soothe him and to continue his story.

"One day, I went up to my mother's room, she and I were supposed to go out riding together and she hadn't met me in the stables for some time. Only when I got there I found that she wasn't there and I started to get worried. I headed down to the servants kitchen to see if they had seen her, my mother was always conversing with our servants, she was always so nice to them. 

They claimed they hadn't seen her except that morning and I was about to leave when I noticed the trap door."

Sakura was quickly thrown back to last night when she herself had discovered the trap door. She got chills just thinking about where the door led, to the dark and cold dungeons' underneath the castle.

"When I had gotten far enough to the holding cells, I could already hear whimpering and screaming, and I could also smell the scent of blood. I discovered the room you found me in last night. It was full of dead corpses piled off to a corner and it smelled terrible. Then I saw my mother laid on this metal table off to the side of the room and that bastard…" his fists clenched so tight that the knuckles turned white and she could feel his aura suddenly turning dangerous.

Sakura shrank back a little and seeing this, he visibly tried to calm himself. He then reached up to the collar up his shirt then pulled it down, making the backside of his neck visible. She gasped when he revealed a black mark etched into his neck, it swirled in malice and the markings stretched across his jugular.

"Next thing I know, I wake up with this, a monster. Orochimaru disappeared after that, and my mother was put in intensive care. Apparently the snake bastard had been experimenting on the servants in the kingdom, I guess he got bored with them and decided to have his way with my mother…" he trailed off after that and Sakura understood then that the story must have ended.

"I'm so sorry Sasuke; no one should ever have to go through that." Sakura said as she laid her hand on his shoulder in comfort.

This time Sasuke didn't shrug her off, but they both remained silent. Looking into the horizon they sat there in comfortable silence, each forgetting about the world they had left behind even temporarily.

**A.N: Ok, I understand that this chapter was a bit choppy and not as good as my others, also I felt it was a bit rushed. However now you have the general idea of Sasuke's "condition". I didn't realize that I promised a lemon in this chapter until I looked back at my last A.N, so I apologize for that and hopefully (this meaning I will try my very hardest) I will work one in. Sasuke and Sakura are definitely **

**working into the romance so I don't intend to let up on that at all. Again sorry for the long update, I'll take extra care to keep myself healthy; in fact I was suffering somewhat of a Benadryl hangover while I wrote this chapter so that may be another reason why this chapter wasn't so polished.**

**Any, who things will be easier now that it's Spring Break!**

**Make sure to review!! Amber Out!! **


	8. Temptations

**A.N: I know, it took me forever to update; my apologies. Anyway my A.P U.S History exam is coming up and I've had absolutely no time to update or even brainstorm another chapter. Apparently if I pass this exam, then I earn a college credit and I won't have to take this class in college. Also it will look nice on my transcripts. Anyway, here's Chapter Eight!!**

**Temptation**

The air was cold and the wind began to pick up just as Sasuke stood up from where he had been previously sitting. Sakura looked up at him as he swiftly brushed his trousers, leaving small clouds of dust behind.

"We should get going, it's already dark, and my brother will be wondering where you've been." He said with a twinge of bitterness, yet his features remained impassive.

Sakura sighed as she stood up, brushing the dust and sand grains of the back of her pants. She felt disappointed, after all that they had talked about today she felt for sure that she had managed to break down that wall of his; yet looking back up at his face, she could once again see that he had put his emotionless mask back on.

"Yeah, I guess so" she said none too happily.

Sasuke then led the way back up toward the horses away from the bank. It was pitch dark and Sakura cursed at the fact that she couldn't see a damn thing. Reaching her arms out in front of her she felt her way back toward the horses, barley seeing Sasuke's raven spikes in the night.

After taking a few steps she cried out when her foot tripped on something in the darkness and flailed her arms helplessly, hoping to catch herself before she fell.

She cringed as waiting for the impact of the rocky terrain, only instead she felt a pair of muscular arms circle her waist. Looking up she could see the silhouette of Sasuke's face inches from her own.

She thanked kami that it was dark enough so he couldn't see the rouge blush creeping to her cheeks. Immediately her thoughts went back to that night, his lips brushing over her skin sending instant pleasurable goose bumps throughout her body. How she wanted to taste those lips again, it wasn't until now did she realize how much she had been yearning for the feeling of his lips against hers, since that night.

"You should learn to be more careful" he whispered against her face, Sakura shivered when she felt his cold breath against her cheeks.

'_Is he deliberately trying to drive me crazy?'_ she thought incredulously.

"I'll keep that in mind" she said back to him.

It was suddenly all she could handle. Without even thinking of the consequences, she reached up and gave him a deep kiss. Sasuke stiffened a little, surprised and taken back by her actions. He didn't respond, but he also didn't pull away, Sakura thought afterwards.

Pulling back she slowly opened her eyes, hoping she wouldn't regret what she has just done. Just as soon as she had, she felt him slam his lips back onto hers and she immediately returned his kiss with just as much passion as he was enforcing.

She sighed as his lips slanted over hers and she quickly opened her mouth when she felt a persistent tongue prodding at her lips. She reached her fingers up, tangling them into his raven spikes as he circled his arms around her waist tighter.

They stayed this way for a time before she felt the nagging need for air finally reach them both, and they pulled away from each other, breaths wasted. She looked up at him, his eyes held the need for more as his lust continued to feed him and she knew that his gaze matched her own.

Before she knew what she was doing she wrapped her arms around him and buried her head into his chest which smelled comforting like cinnamon and musk. Suddenly she then felt the waterworks come as she hide her head deeper into his shirt trying desperately not to alert him that she was indeed crying.

Sasuke stiffened a minute before he hesitantly returned her embrace, placing his head in the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, it's just… it's not fair. I didn't ask for any of this, I'm not ready to be married, plus my husband being Itachi doesn't make things any easier, I hate him" She wept.

Sasuke sighed into her hair, he couldn't believe he had let it get this far, it was only making things harder. But he couldn't help it, somewhere along the way (although he hated to admit it) he had developed feelings for this girl, this girl who just happened to be his brother's fiancé.

Pulling away from her, he saw that her cheeks were streaked with tears. He was surprised by himself when he leaned down to gently kiss her tears away before he slowly began kissing down her neck. He pulled her close to him when he felt her shiver against him. She hooked her arms around his shoulders and leaned her head back to give him better access.



Picking her up by her hips he walked a few feet before gently setting her down on the sand. Moving his hands down her sides he lifted her shirt up rubbing his hands over her flat stomach. She then kissed him roughly on the mouth sending pleasurable shivers down his spine. Grabbing a hold of her shirt he lifted it over her head easily before tossing it on the sand a few feet away.

Pulling away he looked at her face, looking for permission. She gazed back up at him with want and passion in her eyes before she nodded for him to continue.

He reached behind her back to unclasp the latch to her bra before taking it off completely. He knew he would regret what he was going to do later, yet not for his own sake. All the possible consequences of his actions were forgotten and compared to nothing to the woman who was now in his arms.

**A.N: Ok, I know what you're going to say, **_**'Moving a little fast aren't we?' **_**However everything will make sense in due time. Also we teenagers can't help that we are full of lustful passion just waiting to be released, it's in our genetic code. Random fact, Guys think about sex every two min… Any way this chapter was shorter than what I wanted, not to mention it may be a while before I update, the exam is going to be killer. Thank you all for your ongoing support and as always, Review!!**

**Amber Out!!**


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